A Day in The Life
by BeTheCheeto
Summary: I had a friend tell me she wanted to see what it would look like to have Choji and Sakura together, so happy birthday! Hope you like it! Rated T just to be safe. Sorry, I really suck at summaries.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.**

Choji Akimichi cracked one eye open as a shadow passed across his face, admiring the his wife's intense beauty as the beautiful image of the rising sun shone around her from their window. She had a habit of sitting at the end of their bed every morning to watch the sun rise. Having a window that faced east in their bedroom had been non-negotiable in their house hunt, and it had made Choji's life a hell of discussions about carpeting, bathrooms, and the importance of two sinks in the master bath for several months, but he had learned every day since that it was absolutely worth it (as were those two sinks, though he would never admit it to her).

He watched her for a moment as she stretched her arms out above her head. He couldn't see her face, but he knew that a serene smile was gracing her delicate features as she watched her sunset. He always watched her, and he wasn't sure if she knew or now, but he never mentioned it as she always said this was her "me time" for the day, before she gave herself up for her family, focusing on his needs as well as their three kids. He constantly asked her to take more time for herself, but she would smile lovingly at him as she touched his cheek and tell him that time with her family was for her, that it was everything she needed. And every time she said it, he fell in love with her just a little bit more.

He still wondered every day how a man like him had been lucky enough to catch her eye. He had never been the most attractive shinobi, nor the best. He was overweight, a side effect of his clan jutsu that he was only able to overcome by expending excessive amounts of chakra. But yet, out of all the guys in their class that she could have chosen to be with, she had picked him. Lord only knew why, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he went with it and thanked the gods for every day he got to hold her in his arms.

The sun had fully risen by now, the beautiful oranges and reds dissolving to give way to a clear, pale blue. She stretched once more and he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep still, as he did every morning to allow her the private time she so loved. He felt the bed rise as she stood, and heard her gracefully sliding around the room to get ready for the day. He kept his eyes closed, but could see in his mind each step. She walked to her dresser to get out her clothes for the day, and put them on before heading into the bathroom to use the sink that held all of her stuff (and only her stuff) before returning to the dresser to tie her hitai-ate into her hair as a headband, as she always had.

She headed down the hall to the kitchen to get breakfast started so that the kids could eat before they headed off to the academy. He couldn't believe that their daughter would be 8 next month. It really was crazy how fast time flew when you wanted them to stay young and innocent forever. He sighed and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and slipping them into his house slippers. He went about his own morning routine sleepily, yawning and stretching his muscles to acquaint them with the new day.

After he was finally prepared for the day, the smell of whatever his wonderful wife was cooking for him had drifted up the stairs, and he followed the familiar path to the kitchen. He smiled seeing her standing beside the stove in her light blue apron, and she turned around to grace him with a radiant smile. He sat at the table to watch her finish her cooking, waiting for the inevitable thundering of tiny feet that would surely start any minute now. He had heard the kids stirring in their rooms as he walked past.

Sure enough, he soon heard yelling and running feet breaking the morning silence that their tired parents enjoyed so much.

"Race ya!" he heard their oldest daughter, Chocho, yell to her brother.

"No fair! You have academy training!" their 5-year-old son, Masahiko yelled back at his older sister, who was surely cheating. They came tearing into the kitchen at roughly the same time (Masahiko's bedroom was closer to the kitchen then Chocho's, cancelling out her cheating), panting and shouting all at once for their father to tell them who won. Choji smiled at them, then looked to his wife.

"I don't know, it looked pretty close to me…" he teased, a grin plastered on his face. "What do you think, dear?"

Sakura brushed her bangs from her forehead with the back of one hand, before smiling and leaving the stove to pick up Kyoko as the two-year-old ambled in sleepily, her bear dragging from one hand. The small girl smiled sleepily at her mother as she rubbed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck and burying her face in her shoulder. Choji's heart swelled with love at the sight of the woman, the child who was a mirror image of her in her arms.

"I think we can agree you both won," she said kindly, bending to kiss each of her older children on the forehead. Chocho pouted.

"We can't both have won, Mom…" she whined.

Her mother laughed. "Sure you can. It's called a tie. Now, go wash up for breakfast please, and take your sister with you." She set the small child down, even as the girl clung to her mother. Chocho took her hand and dragged her down the hallway, sulking as she went.

Sakura returned to the stove just in time to plate up breakfast, kissing her husband on the cheek with a fond smile as she set several plates down in front of him. A stack of three pancakes the size of his round face with a dab of butter perched perfectly on top, a plate with three fried eggs and 6 pieces each of bacon and sausage, and a slab of ham, the third side plate containing three pieces of buttered toast. She laid out plates with smaller portions for the kids, although making sure they were loaded with enough nutrients to get Chocho and Masahiko through their training at the academy for the day. Kyoko typically just picked off Sakura's plate. She had just sat down herself as the children came running back in, scrambling into their chairs.

"Yum!" Chocho exclaimed as she dug into her pancakes. Sakura smiled at her affectionately as she reached out a hand to brush a stray hair from the girl's forehead. The family set about to eating, even the children eating more than Sakura. After all, the Akimichi blood flowed strong in their big bones. After breakfast, Sakura took Kyoko to daycare before heading to her shift at the hospital. Choji waved the older two off to the academy before getting started with his list for the day.

He didn't have any missions today, so he had plans to do some work around the house. The kids' laundry was calling, and though he didn't want to answer, Masahiko was on his last pair of clean underwear, and had a tendency to wear dirty rather than washing some, which was mildly disturbing to his hygiene-conscious parents. He sighed, and went to complete his unpleasant task.

The day had passed with nothing of particular interesting happening, just the way Choji liked his days off. Shikamaru had stopped by to invite Choji to lunch with him and Ino, which Choji had gladly accepted. They never seemed to get together like that anymore, and it would be even less common soon as Choji had already been informed he would be getting his own genin team after the next graduation exam. Shikamaru and Ino had held off on getting their teams, Shikamaru wanting to focus on helping Naruto become Hokage by helping Kakashi be Hokage, and Ino was focusing on her work at the hospital, so Choji's students would be at least a year ahead of theirs. He was grateful for the chance to see his friends.

xXx

He had returned home, full and happy, and allowed himself a rare afternoon of relaxation, knowing that soon he would be chasing not only after his own children, but an unruly team of three other couples' children, as well. He enjoyed sitting in the quiet of his home. He looked at the clock. 3:00. He sighed and got up to head out. He had to pick up Kyoko from daycare before the kids got home, and he still had to get a snack set up. He didn't know how Sakura did this all on her own when he was on missions.

When she finally got home from the hospital at 7:00, she gave him a grateful smile as he pulled dinner out of the oven and set it down on the table. They ate family style, and retired to the living room to finish last night's movie before bed. Choji reclined into the corner of the couch, stretching one leg across the expanse of fabric. Sakura was snuggled next to him, her legs draped over his. Kyoko was snuggled under her arm, while Masahiko colored on the floor. He considered this a "girly" movie and so, as a boy, he "couldn't watch it", even as he snuck peeks often enough to basically watch it. Chocho had chosen the movie, and sat riveted cross-legged in front of the TV.

Choji slowly looked around the room at his beautiful family. The way the flickering lights of the TV glinted off of Sakura and Kyoko's pink hair, Kyoko's green eyes that had already disappeared beneath her lids as she drifted halfway between sleep and wakefulness. Chocho's intense curiosity about the show, as she absentmindedly twisted a strand of one of her buns around a short finger. Masahiko watching the movie with interest until he saw his father looking, and quickly returned to his coloring, earning a chuckle from the senior Akimichi. He sighed contentedly as he wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. They had done well.

When the movie was finished, he gently shook Sakura awake. She jolted abruptly, waking Kyoko, who started crying. Choji gently picked up the child and headed down the hall towards her bedroom. The tiny, slender figure in his arms was dwarfed by his intimidating size, the only one of the children whose figure took after her mother, much to Chocho's dismay. Sakura gathered Chocho and Masahiko and herded them to bed as well, tucking them each in with a kiss to the forehead as Choji went through Kyoko's slightly complex bedtime ritual. They had always been told it didn't do to coddle shinobi children, but how could he resist Sakura's beautiful eyes in the tiny frame of his wonderful daughter?

When Kyoko was finally asleep again, he closed her door gently and padded down the hall to the master bedroom, impressively quiet for a man of his size thanks to his shinobi training. Sakura was just about to pull back the covers and climb into bed. Choji snuck up behind her, earning him a small gasp as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The fact that she hadn't sensed his presence signaled how tired she was. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, slowly moving down her jaw and onto her neck. He loved the way her neck tilted to the side to give him better access despite her tired eyes drifting closed. He gently nipped the skin with his teeth, and her eyes flew open. She spun quickly in his arms, planting a kiss on his mouth and wrapping her arms as much as she could around his hulking frame before falling backwards onto the bed. Choji angled himself to fall more to her side to avoid putting all his weight on her, and laughed.

"You know, you never cease to amaze me," he marveled.

Sakura shot him an evil grin. "Good. I hope I never do."


End file.
